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Late last month, Boeing successfully completed the first test flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype in Manassas, Virginia. During the flight, the PAV prototype, which is 30-feet long and 28-feet wide, completed a controlled takeoff, hover and landing, which tested its autonomous functions and ground control systems. Boeing says that future flights will test forward, wing-borne flight, as well as the transition phase between vertical and forward-flight modes—a phase that is usually the most important engineering challenge for any high-speed vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, according to Boeing. Surprise! Photos of what is reported to be Russian Sukhoi Okhotnik (Hunter) heavy drone prototype have surfaced on the internet. The first image began circulating on Russian social media several days ago, with several more showing up shortly thereafter. They show an aircraft that looks very much like the MQ-25 being developed for the U.S. Navy. The images were likely captured by a plane spotter near the runway at the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant. Yuneec International’s commercial hexacopter, the H520, will now optionally be available with an RTK (Real Time Kinematic) system from the Swiss company Fixposition. Even under difficult GPS conditions, such as in cities or canyons, the RTK system ensures maximum precision and centimeter-precise positioning. The fully integrated RTK satellite navigation reportedly enables extremely accurate recurring images, faster 3D mapping and makes automated inspection flights easier and more precise. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-Unmanned!!!

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